PANDEMIC-INDUCED CRISES IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY – AN INDIAN CONTEXT

This paper aims to examine the pandemic-induced crises psychological and physical distress experienced by the employees during the Covid19 pandemic and the implications on job loss and job characteristics from all domains of the hospitality industry in India. The study is designed to explore the pandemic-induced tourism crisis along with emotional, mental, and physical effects. An in-depth qualitative exploration was used and a tool comprising of data sets include representatives from aviation, resorts and hotel segments, tour operators, and travel agents. The researchers used a semi-structured questionnaire that had two sections and explored industry concerns, HR strategies, and employee distress through a multi-stage process involving coding and content analysis. The study analyzed the pandemic-induced crises at the micro and macro levels and grouped them under three essential dimensions such as;organizational and industry concerns, organizational HR policies, and employees’ psychological distress. The subthemes under these dimensions can contribute to scale validation. The subthemes grouped under the three major dimensions have come out as a theoretical model of how the pandemic has affected professionals at these three levels. The findings as items can be validated through descriptive research in quantitative terms forming the future scope. The study analyzed the perceptions of professionals in the tourism and hospitality business amid the pandemic and concludes that a proactive HR policy can minimize employees’ psychological distress. © 2022 Editura Universitatii din Oradea. All rights reserved.

Analysing tourism destination promotion through Facebook by Destination Marketing Organizations of India. (Special Issue: COVID-19.)

Today, the promotion of tourism destinations is evident through social media as tourists have become content creators and influencers. Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) promote destinations through various social media platforms of which Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are common. Of these platforms, Facebook is widely used for promotion, consumer research, and customer service, which makes it the foremost choice of DMOs for destination promotion. In India, the State and Union Territory tourism departments act as DMOs. The study explores how Indian DMOs strategically employ Facebook to promote their destinations. Six months' data were collected from the Facebook pages of 32 DMOs for content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven managers of tourism departments. The Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala DMOs have shown high user engagement through firm-generated content (visual content and informative posts). The findings conclude that DMOs are using Facebook as a supplement to traditional marketing tools and rarely for customer service and research. DMOs benefit from the contents of scenic beauty, culture, and cuisine which appeal more to engage users on Facebook pages. Further, implications for management and managerial actions have been suggested.